Service enablers are the basic technology building blocks for creating mobile services. The implementation of service enablers can potentially take place in many places along the end-to-end chain, i.e., from the mobile terminal to the fixed network server. Many new service enablers are needed to produce compelling new services and enable the next growth wave for the mobile industry.
The concept of enabling services has largely been perceived between a single service subscriber and a single content server. Often, multiple service subscribers are in need of a single service, where individual sessions between each subscriber and the content server are required. As such, large amounts of resources such as memory and transmission bandwidth are needlessly consumed from the server, since each subscriber requiring service additively drains the server's resources.
Many service enablers in existence today could be more effective and thus provide the subscriber with a richer experience, if they could be offered and managed in a group fashion. For example, any situation where groups of people are gathered together, whereby common information of interest may be accessed by every member of the group, would enrich his or her user experience by such a common information interface. In such a group situation, service enablers such as browsing, delivery, messaging, content adaptation, and presence could be enhanced by the common interface.
The essence of mobile browsing lies in its close alignment with widely accepted Internet standards, where page description language, control formatting language, and scripting language are used to provide the user with a more intuitive interface. The browsing interface may be made even more intuitive in group situations where a common interface is required so that each member may access information or pre-composed data that is of interest to the members.
In the prior art, however, there exists no such mobile terminal that is capable of managing group activities. Prior art access to group activities is necessarily conducted at the network server level, but the network server is obviously not mobile and, therefore, incapable of providing position related services. There are many situations in which group hosted activity must necessarily be conducted in proximity to the group. Such is the case, for example, with group tours in museums, group events in local drinking establishments, etc., where local stimuli affects the way in which the group host interacts with the group members. For example, supplying a common link to interesting content pertaining to a particular painting that each member of the group is currently viewing. Conversely, supplying a trivia quiz at a local pub, whereby prizes are given away for the most correct answers, are two examples that require a localized, mobile group host for enhanced user interaction.
Accordingly, there is a need in the communications industry for a method, system, and apparatus that exploits the capabilities of mobile terminals to increase the number of value added services that may be facilitated through their use. In particular, the capabilities of mobile terminals needs to be exploited, so that they may function alone as group hosts, or alternatively, may coordinate with network servers to provide the group hosting function.
Additionally, the coupling mechanism used to exploit the capabilities of the mobile terminal needs to be adapted to enhance the services provided to a group of mobile terminals. In such an adaptation, the user's total experience in using the particular application while in a group setting may be enhanced through the operation of the group hosting mobile terminal.